Fastening device

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a fastening device, for the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;uppers&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; of articles of footwear, having an elongated bridge member, a pair of cranks journalled on the bridge member at respective points along its length for pivotal movement in the direction of elongation of the bridge member, and means rotatably mounted on each crank at a spacing from its journal for coupling the crank to a respective one of two portions of the upper.

United States Patent 91 Chow FASTENING DEVICE [76] Inventor: Yut Chow, l5 Warren SL, Rm. 22,

Hackensack, NJ. 07601 [22] Filed: Sept. 11, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 288,024

[52] US. Cl. .(24/71 SK, 24/68 SK [51] Int. Cl A43c 11/00, A44b 21/00 [58] Field of Search 24/71 SK, 71 T, 71 J, 71 R,

24/68 SK, 68 R, 271

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,493,710 5/1924 Smith 24/71 SK 2,046,079 6/1936 Macintosh 24/71 .1 250,447 12/1881 Leiboldt 24/71 SK 808,028 12/1905 Ellis 24/71 SK 1,741,876 12/1929 Prima 24/71 SK [111 3,808,645 [451 May 7,1974

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 985,368 7/1951 France 24/71 J 23,409 12/1898 Great Britain 24/71 SK 646,071 11/1950 Great Britain 24/71 SK Primary ExaminerBernard A. Gelak Attorney, Agent, or FirmWilliam Anthony Drucker [5 7] 0 ABSTRACT The invention provides a fastening device, for the uppers of articles of footwear, having an elongated bridge member, a pair of cranks journalled on the bridge member at respective points along its length for pivotal movement in the direction of elongation of the bridge member, and means rotatably mounted on each crank at a spacing from its journal for coupling the crank to a respective one of two portions of the upper.

1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures 1 FASTENING DEVICE This invention relates to fastening means for the wings or flaps of the upper portion of an article of footwear,-e.g., to replace the conventional lace used to tie up an eyeletted upper of a boot or shoe.

According to the present invention, the fastening device comprises an elongated bridge member, a pair of cranks journalled on the bridge member at respective points along its length for pivotal movement in the direction of elongation of the bridge member, and means rotatably mounted on each crank at a spacing from its journal for coupling the crank to a respective one of two portions of the upper.

With such a construction, the journals can move into an open position, in which the cranks are fully extended in opposition directions, and into a closed or fastening position in which the cranks are extended towards each other, and in which the two portions of the upper are accordingly held in closed position.

In a preferred arrangement the bridge member provides a plurality of journals for each crank, along'its longitudinal direction, so that each crank can be engaged with any selected journal according to the degree of tightening desired.

In a convenient form,'the coupling means is a hook adapted to pass through a conventional eyelet lace hole of the upper, and preferably the coupling means is provided with at least one tooth to engage into the material of the upper.

The bridge member advantageously provides, for each crank, a pair of journals which are opposed in the transverse direction of the bridge member, each crank being in the form of a U-shaped stirrup having the free end of its legs formed as lugs about which the stirrup can be rotated with respect to the bridge member.

In a preferred form, the bridge member is arcuate, and in particular the cranks are arranged so that in closed position they have passed beyond a line of centres and are thus in stable equilibrium under the forces exerted on them by the respective uppers.

In a first practical embodiment, the bridge member is of sheet metal, and a plurality of upstanding lugs are formed therein by pressing out of said sheet metal, each lug being apertured to form a journal.

In another practical embodiment, the bridge member is of plastics material and has two parallel flanges integrally formed at spaced positions therein, said flanges being apertured to provide journals.

In order that the nature of the invention may be readily ascertained, an embodiment of fastening device in scribed with reference to the figures of the aqcompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. I is a side elevation of the device, in open position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device, in closed position;

FIG. 3 is an under plan view of the device, in the closed position;

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c are respectively a side elevation from one side, a front elevation, and a side elevation from the other side, of a modified securing hook;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a modified bridge member;

FIG. 6 is an under plan view of the modified bridge member of FIG. 5.

I accordance therewith is hereinafter particularly de- 7 Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a fastening device for the flap portions of the shoe upper, i.e., those portions which in many conventionalmens shoes are eyeletted to receive a shoe-lace for tying and untymg.

In this drawing, two flaps l and 2 are shown in broken line, and are each provided with a lace-hole 3 which may be eyeletted in any conventional manner. The fastening device comprises a curved bridge member 4 made of sheet metal and having'a plurality of opposed pairs of lugs 5 pressed out so as to leave corresponding openings 6. Each lug has a central aperture 7 to serve as a bearing for a lug 8 formed at the free end of leg 9 of a U-shaped stirrup 10. The stirrup 10 is made of spring metal wire, and its legs 9 can be compressed towards each other to cause the lugs 8 to be released from the lugs 5, for inserting the lugs 8 in the openings 7 of any other selected one of the plurality of lugs 5, according to the dimensions of the shoe and the degree of tightening required, as-will be explained below.

The cross-member l 1 of the stirrup 10 receives about it the curled end 12 of a C-shaped securing hook 13, of sheet metal, which has a set of teeth 14 formed by rough punching of a hole 15 in the sheet metal forming the hook.

In use, the hook 13 is inserted through the eyelet hole 3 of the shoe upper, with the hook in an opened condi- 7 tion shown in broken line in FIG. 1. The C-shaped hook is then compressed with the fingers or with a tool such as a pair of pliers, to close together the C-shaped hook and cause it to embrace closely the shoe upper l or 2 with engagement of the teeth 14 into the material of the shoe upper l or 2, as seen in full line in FIG. I.

FIG. I showsthe device in open condition, i.e., with the two portions 1 and 2 relatively widely separated. To close the fastener, and tighten the shoe upper onto the wearers foot, the two stirrups 10 are pushed inwardly by hand, by pivoting about their lugs 8 in the lugs 5, until the stirrups l0 lie closely against the underside of the bridge member 4, as seen in FIG. 2. The arcuate movement of the two stirrups 10 causes the portions 1 and 2 of the shoe upper to be drawn together until they nearly meet, similarly to the effect that would be obtained if a conventional shoe lace had been threaded through the holes 3 and pulled tight and knotted. As the direction in which the hooks l3 exert a force on the associated stirrup 10, in the closed position, is substantially aligned with the arms 9 of the stirrup, the. device is in stable equilibrium, and will not move back into the unfastened position unless and until the bridge member 4 is lifted away, for example, by placing a finger tip under one or both ends and lifting it away from the shoe upper 1 or 2.

According to the degree of tightening which is required, to accommodate the wearers foot within the shoe upper, the stirrups 10 are adjusted, symmetrically, so as to be engaged with one or other of the set of four lugs 5 at each side of the bridge member 4.

Referring now to FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c, there is shown an alternative form of C-shaped book which can replace the hook 13 of FIGS. 1 to 3. The hook 13a is shown in its initial open position, before engagement with the upper I or 2 of the shoe. It is made of metal wire, in one piece, and is bent to provide a curled end 16, for engagement about the cross-member ll of the stirrup 10. The two free ends of the piece of wire form a pair of teeth 17a and 17b which, when the hook is engaged into an upper l or 2, engages intothe material in similar manner to the teeth 14 of FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an alternative to the sheet metal bridge member 4 of FIGS. 1 to 3. ln FIGS. 4 and 5, the bridge member 4a is formed, with a pair of flanges 18, as an integral moulding of plastics material. The flanges 18 are apertured at 19 to receive the lugs 8 of the two stirrups l0.

I claim:

l. A fastening device, for attachment to a footwear upper of that kind which includes spaced opposed lateral upper elements each including an eyeletted lace hole, said fastening device comprising:

i. a bridge member including an elongated arcuate body portion having a concave face, and a pair of transversely-spaced longitudinally extending flanges projecting from said concave face, said body portion and said flanges being formed as a one-piece moulding of synthetic resinous plastics material, said flanges including adjacent each longitudinal end thereof a plurality of transverse apertures spaced longitudinally on the respective flange and each aperture of one said flange being opposed to an aperture of the other said flange;

ii. a pair of cranks each in the form of a substantially U-shaped stirrup having a cross member and a pair of legs, the free end of each leg of said U-shaped stirrup carrying an out-turned lug, each lug of said stirrupbeing engaged rotatably in a selected aperture of a respective flange to form a journal for rotation of the crank about the lug axis;

iii. a pair of C-shaped hooks made of deformable metal and havingtwo end portions, one end portion of each hook being engaged about the cross member of a respective crank to form a journal therewith, the other end portion of each book including a plurality of teeth extending towards said one end portion said hooks being adapted to engage through an eyeletted hole of a respective upper element and to be compressed and deformed with a pinching tool such that said one end portion may lie against one face of the upper element and said other end portion may lie against the opposed face of the upper element with said teeth engaged into said upper element. 

1. A fastening device, for attachment to a footwear upper of that kind which includes spaced opposed lateral upper elements each including an eyeletted lace hole, said fastening device comprising: i. a bridge member including an elongated arcuate body portion having a concave face, and a pair of transversely-spaced longitudinally extending flanges projecting from said concave face, said body portion and said flanges being formed as a onepiece moulding of synthetic resinous plastics material, said flanges including adjacent each longitudinal end thereof a plurality of transverse apertures spaced longitudinally on the respective flange and each aperture of one said flange being opposed to an aperture of the other said flange; ii. a pair of cranks each in the form of a substantially Ushaped stirrup having a cross member and a pair of legs, the free end of each leg of said U-shaped stirrup carrying an outturned lug, each lug of said stirrup being engaged rotatably in a selected aperture of a respective flange to form a journal for rotation of the crank about the lug axis; iii. a pair of C-shaped hooks made of deformable metal and having two end portions, one end portion of each hook being engaged about the cross member of a respective crank to form a journal therewith, the other end portion of each hook including a plurality of teeth extending towards said one end portion said hooks being adapted to engage through an eyeletted hole of a respective upper element and to be compressed and deformed with a pinching tool such that said one end portion may lie against one face of the upper element and said other end portion may lie against the opposed face of the upper element with said teeth engaged into said upper element. 